Door construction



April 1942- K. D. M MAHAN 2,279,005

DOOR CONSTRUCTION Filed March 30, 1939 Inventor: Kenton D. McMahan, by 7 H is Attorney.

Patented Apr. 7, 1942 DOOR CONSTRUCTION Kenton D. McMahan, Schenectady, N. Y., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application March 30, 1939, Serial No. 264,990

5 Claims.

My invention relates to a door construction, and in particular to door sealing means for use with fluid tight doors.

It is an object of my invention to provide a new and improved quick-opening, fluid-tight door which is rugged in construction, positive in operation, and inexpensive of manufacture.

Further objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds, and the features of novelty which characterize my invention will be pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification.

For a better understanding of my invention reference may be had to the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view partly in section illustrating an application of my invention; Fig. 2 is an enlarged partial sectional view of the door construction shown in Fig. 1 taken along the line 22 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of a detail of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2.

I have provided a door Ill comprising two elements I I and I2 arranged totelescope one into the other with a space I3 between the elements I I and I2 at the periphery thereof. The spacing between the elements I I and I2 may be controlled by suitable mechanism in response to the operation of hand wheels I4. Within the space I3 is placed a buckling strip or deformable band I5 of resilient material, such as rubber, which may be eccentrically loaded. For example, a groove I6 may be provided in the inner face of the strip I5. When the strip or band I5 is compressed by the telescoping of the elements II and I2, as best shown in Fig. 3, the groove [6 causes an eccentric loading of the band which in turn causes the band to buckle and engage the doorway I1 in the wall I8 and seal the space between the door I9 and the doorway I'I. With this arrangement accurate machining is unnecessary because, due to the manner of loading the band I5, a good seal is obtained even though the clearance between the door and the doorway varies over a wide range.

Describing my invention in greater detail, the element II of the closure member or door I may be formed of a plate, generally oval in shape, having a laterally extending flange I9 integral therewith. The second element I2 is shown in the form of a generally oval-shaped shell having an outwardly directed flange 20 formed integral therewith. The element I2 is so dimensioned that it will fit into and slide within the flange I9 in telescopic relation therewith.

The flanges I 9 and 20 may be conveniently manufactured separately of the elements II and I2 and welded or otherwise suitably secured in the proper position, to the elements II and I2.

From Fig. 2 it will be seen that the flanges I9 and 20 provide a space I3 between the elements II and I! for the reception of a buckling strip or band I5 preferably of resilient material such as rubber. The band or strip I5 is shaped to be deformed in cross section, as by assuming a different cross sectional shape, and to yield laterally by bending at a particular location when force is applied to the edges of the band I5. As shown in the drawing, strip I5 is provided with a longitudinally extending groove I6 in its inner face to insure buckling toward the doorway I! when suflicient force is applied to the edges thereof by elements II and I2. I have provided suitable means to control the length of the space I3 and therefore the load or buckling force applied to the band I5. In the illustrated embodiment of my invention two sets of length controlling or force applying means are provided. Inasmuch as the construction of each is the same, only one will be described. A block 2I, having an opening 2Ia therethrough, is secured to the outside of the element II as by welding for example. An opening 22 is also provided in the member II in alignment with the opening 2Ia in the block 2|. A support 23 in the form of an angle may be suitably secured to the element I2 and is provided with an opening 24 in alignment with the openings 2Ia and 22. A rod 25 threaded at both ends is projected through the above-described openings. A hand wheel I4 threadingly engages each end of the rod 25. Pins 26 extending through rod 25 are provided to prevent the hand wheels I4 from unscrewing sufficiently to drop off the rod 25.

In order to seal the opening 22 through the element II, I provide sealing or packing material 2'! around the rod 25 and a gland 28 to compress or squeeze the packing 21, the squeezing force being transmitted from the hand wheel I4 to the gland 28 through a washer 29. In order to prevent rotation of the rod 25, I have provided a pin 30 suitably secured to the support 23 and projecting into a slot 3| formed in the rod 25. The slot 3| has a sufficient length to permit free movement of elements II and I2, but to prohibit any substantial rotation of the rod 25. I have found that in some cases the pressure of the packing 21 on the rod 25 is sufiicient to prevent rotation thereof, in which case the pin 30 and slot 3| may be omitted.

A suitable means for loosely hinging the door III in the doorway or closure frame member I1 is block 2 I. This arrangement permits vertical ad.

justment of the door III, a locking nut 31 being provided to lock the screw 35 in the desired position. The other ends of the members 33 are suitably pivotally secured to blocks 38 which in turn are secured to the wall I! in any desired manner, as by welding. This construction is advantageous in that the door In is permitted to move in substantially a straight line until the door I clears the doorway ll before there is any substantial sidewise or turning movement.

When force is applied to the edges of the resilient buckling strip l5 due to the telescoping action of elements II and It as when one or more of the hand wheels II are tightened, the strip IE will buckle or bend outwardly along the entire periphery of door l to assume the shape illustrated in Fig. 3, thus sealing the opening be tween door l0 and doorway l'l. Just after elements II and I2 are forced into engagement with strip l substantially all the force will be eflective to bend or buckle the strip 15 laterally [lengthwise of the strip, and there will be little if any compression of the strip l5. After thestrip II has bent into sealing engagement with the doorway I! there will be some compression of strip l5 transversely thereof, this compression force added to the increased buckling force tending to press the strip l5 more securely against the doorway l1. Thus, the greater the force tending to telescope the elements II and I2, the

' tighter will be the seal between the doorway l1 and the door 10. Due to the resiliency of the band l5, when the buckling force is removed the band l5 tends to spring back or return to its unstressed position, this force tending to separate the elements II and [2 to release the door III.

Many modifications of the above construction are possible. For example, whereas I have illustrated the use of a resilient rubber band IS, an resilient material which can be eccentrlcally loaded may be used. For instance, a strip of resilient metal, as spring steel, may be used. Furthermore, the eccentric loading may be obtained in other ways than by grooving the inner face of the band. For example, the band or strip l5 may be deformed or bent in some suitable manner as by providing a band arcuate or crescentshapii in cross-section. The important thing is to shape or deform the strip I5, as by providing unequal cross-sectional areas on each side of an axis extending through the line of action of the means engaging each side of the strip whereby the strip is eccentrically loaded in such a manner as to insure buckling or yielding toward the doorway l'l. While a door substantially oval in shape has been shown, any desired shape may be eiz filoyed, and this type of door may be used in c ection with any type of a wall or doorway construction. Other means of supporting and hinging the door will be'apparent, and any number of hand wheels may be employed. Moreover, the sealing means may be supported on the doorway, the resilient member bending into engagement with the door, if desired.

While I have shown and described my invention in connection with a specific arrangement thereof, I do not desire my invention to be limited to the specific arrangement shown and described, and I intend in the appended claims to cover all the modifications within the spirit and scope of my invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. A fluid-tight closure construction comprising a wall having an opening therein, a closure frame member about said opening, a closure member for said opening, a resilient strip extending around the periphery of one of said members, said strip having a longitudinally extending groove on the surface presented to said one of said members and means engaging said strip for causing said strip to buckle at said groove into fluid-tight engagement with the other of said members. v

2. In combination a wall having an o therein, closure means for said opening, a resilient strip extending around the periphery of said closure means and having a longitudinally extending groove on the inner surface thereof, and means engaging said strip for causing said strip to buckle at said groove into fluid-tight engagement with the edge of said opening.

3. In combination a wall having a doorway therein, closure means for said doorway comprising a first element and a second element, said elements being telescopically arranged with respect to each other, a peripheral space between said elements, a resilient band in said peripheral space, said band having a longitudinally extending groove on the inner face thereof, and means to telescope said first and second members into engagement with said band for causing said band to bend outwardly at said groove into fluidtight engagement with said doorway to seal the opening between said door and said doorway.

4. A fluid-tight closure construction comprising a wall having an opening therein, a closure frame member about said opening, a closure member for 1 said opening, a deformable resilient longitudinal- 1y extending strip carried by one of said members, and means engaging said strip at each side thereof for compressing said strip and causing said strip to bend laterally by buckling into sealing engagement with the other of said members, said strip having a cross section of such character that said strip is eccentrlcally loaded when subjected to said compressing force when applied at each side by said engaging means.

5. A fluid-tight closure construction comprising a wall having an opening therein, a closure frame member about said opening, a closure member for said opening, a deformable resilient longitudinally extending strip carried by one of said members, and means engaging said strip at each side thereof for compressing said strip, said strip having unequal cross-sectional areas on each side of an axis extending through the line of action of said engaging means whereby said strip is eccentrlcally loaded and caused to bend laterally by buckling into sealing engagement with the other of said members when subjected to the compressing forces applied along said sides 'by said engaging means.

KENTON D. McMAHAN. 

